Replication Data for: Cross-National Support for the Welfare State under Wealth Inequality

Wealth is often more unequally distributed than income, and there are considerable differences across countries. In this paper, we argue that wealth inequality helps explain cross-national variation in support for (and the size of) the welfare state because assets serve as private insurance. When wealth, particularly liquid assets, is unequally distributed across the income spectrum and high-income groups hold most assets, strong reinforcing preferences in favor of or against social policies result in antagonistic welfare politics and less government spending. When assets are more equitably distributed across the income spectrum, cross-cutting preferences emerge as more people support either insurance or redistribution. Welfare politics is consensual and facilitates a broader welfare coalition and more government spending. We analyze original cross-national survey data from nine OECD countries and provide evidence in support of our argument. Our findings suggest that wealth inequality reshapes the role of income in structuring welfare politics.

财富的分布往往比收入更不均等，且各国之间存在显著差异。本文认为，财富不平等有助于解释各国在福利国家支持度（及其规模）上的差异，原因在于资产可充当私人保险。当财富（尤其是流动资产）在各收入阶层分布不均，且高收入群体持有绝大多数资产时，支持或反对社会政策的强烈同向偏好会催生对立性的福利政治格局，进而导致政府支出规模缩减。当资产在各收入阶层分布更为均等时，交叉型偏好开始显现：更多民众会同时支持保险政策或再分配举措。此时福利政治呈现共识性特征，有助于构建更广泛的福利联盟，并推动政府支出规模扩大。我们分析了来自9个经济合作与发展组织（OECD）成员国的原创跨国调查数据，并为本文的核心论点提供了实证支撑。研究结果表明，财富不平等重塑了收入在塑造福利政治格局中的作用。